Starfire
by NiftyShark
Summary: Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso make it off Scarif alive. Now they seek answers, including the fates of the rest of Rogue One.
1. Escape to Raydonia

_A/N: Updated with grammar and dialogue edits._

* * *

 _escape to raydonia_

. . .

The hum of the starship in light-speed was the only noise filling the cabin.

Cassian Andor sat on a seat to the side, watching the medical droid they found on their stolen Imperial ship treat Jyn Erso. It was an old 2-1B model droid that the Imperials had reprogrammed. It was a simple matter of flipping a switch in its systems to turn it back to a neutral state.

As he was studying the droid's work, he caught Jyn watching him with a mulish expression.

He had insisted that she be treated first, even though his leg was most likely broken—a 98% chance, had K-2SO been with them. She wasn't pleased in the slightest, but he remained adamant and refused to be examined first. If only to know she was okay and calm his anxiety-fueled mind that hadn't relaxed since his fall down the Empire's databank shaft on Scarif. She could clearly manage herself though, given everything they had already survived together.

Once Jyn's cuts, burns, and sprain were tended to, the droid turned to him. Cassian winced as his leg was tethered firmly to a splint. His bruises and cuts were wrapped, and the droid powered down when it was finished.

She continued her silent staring. As he leveled his own gaze to hers, he noticed the glower had faded into a look of quiet contemplation and sheer grief. But there was something else there that he couldn't quite place—relief? Hope? Determination? Maybe a mixture of all three.

They both survived a near-suicidal mission, after all.

But they were alone. They had no idea if the rest of Rogue One survived. It was clearly weighing on her.

It weighed on him too.

The silence could only go on for so long. They had to keep moving and surviving. It was clear they were both proficient at that, caged by their childhoods and forced to learn it at early ages. He broke the silence first.

"I set a course for Raydonia. Since it's in the Outer Rim nearby, it should be a good place to gather supplies. That's its main import. It's also a neutral planet, so there won't be any strong Rebel or Imperial presence as far as I know."

Jyn nodded solemnly. "Have you been there, Cassian?"

He shook his head. "No, I wasn't ever sent there. The Rebellion had no interest in it."

That seemed to make her think. "Do you think the Death Star plans were received?"

"We can only hope," he said grimly. That green superlaser from the space weapon had destroyed both Jedha and Scarif; Cassian wasn't certain they could survive it a third time. And with the threat it posed looming over the galaxy, was any planet truly safe?

An alert from the ship controls sounded, interrupting their conversation. Jyn looked in the direction the sound was coming from and stood before Cassian could try to, moving to study the controls.

After a moment of pressing a few buttons, Jyn spoke again. "We'll be arriving at Raydonia soon. I acknowledged the hyperdrive's warning system."

Cassian nodded, hiding his surprise. She never made herself out to be proficient at understanding starship controls. "Good. We'll be exiting hyperspace just outside of the planet's atmospheric proximity."

He finally stood up and hobbled awkwardly to the pilot's seat. Jyn observed as he struggled to sit down, and with delicacy and a slight smirk, she took his arm and let him use her as support to sit in the chair.

It was very small and almost unnoticeable, but that upward quirk of her lips caught him completely off-guard. Cassian kept his gaze averted to the control console as he flipped a few switches and studied the starship's status on the touch monitor. He heard her take the co-pilot's seat next to him.

The swirling blue trails of light that signified hyperspeed abruptly stopped, and a blue-green planet took up almost all of the viewport instead, reflecting beautifully in the transparisteel. Two moons orbited around the planet.

"Because we're in a _Lambda-class_ Imperial shuttle and don't want to attract the wrong attention, I'm going to land outside of the settlement picking up on the scanners. We'll have to walk to the settlement, though." A grimace appeared on Cassian's face.

Jyn blinked. "I can go by myself. I doubt you're up to the task of walking far."

Cassian stared at her, hardly surprised by the suggestion. This was Jyn after all. Her charisma and sheer will got them this far already. "Very well. Prepare for landing."

* * *

The shuttle successfully landed among bioluminescent trees and other flora. The sky was a deep plum color, and the weather seemed pleasant enough. It was a strange, intriguing world.

Jyn straightened her vest, clipping the small communication device to it. They had no credits to buy supplies, so she would have to improvise on getting them. Her experiences on being a criminal would serve her well here.

Her and Cassian had planned it—the idea was to scope out the prices of items they needed and barter what they had for them. It wasn't much, but taking an inventory check of the ship revealed objects that could be of use. Even selling the ship was an option.

If that plan didn't work... her only choice was to steal. She had no moral qualms about it at this point.

Cassian pressed a button on the control console to lower the ship's entry ramp. With a brief nod to him, Jyn extricated herself from the co-pilot's chair and turned to leave the shuttle.

"Wait." Fingers gently grasped her wrist and made her pause.

She shifted to face Cassian, who braced himself against the pilot's chair awkwardly.

"Here, take this." He struggled to unclip the blaster pistol from his holster, but when he managed to remove it he handed it to her.

She studied it for a moment, then slowly took it from his hand. Sheathing it in her own holster, she met his dark eyes with no purpose other than to look at them.

The lines around his eyes crinkled as a content expression crossed over his face. "May the Force be with you."

* * *

Keeping a decent pace, Jyn moved through the glowing foliage in the direction of the settlement. The cool air was refreshing compared to the heat of Scarif, and the quiet soothed her mind.

Walks like this always helped her keep her head on straight. Kept her focused for her next task.

The settlement eventually loomed into view. There were moderate homes, some made of natural elements while others were forged with durasteel. Large hangars placed randomly allowed for starships to dock, while whole floating platforms were dedicated to the transport ships that came daily.

The streets were crowded, tight and compact—not dissimilar to the former moon Jedha. Many stalls were set up, with many more humans and other creatures buying wares and goods.

Walking more slowly to observe the stalls, she identified the ones that carried food, medical supplies, and weapons. Everything was imported, making it slightly costlier, but that was the reason for haggling.

Or stealing, she supposed.

Besides looking at the stalls, Cassian had asked her if she could also look out for communication terminals. He had said he wanted to contact someone in his network of spies to find out information.

Slipping down an alleyway, Jyn spotted an antenna among other electronics attached to one of the buildings. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she skirted to it, then crouched and opened the small maintenance door. Pulling out the small hacking terminal Cassian had given her, she inserted it into the port on the system.

He had inlaid a coded message into it before she left, something small to be sent on a private frequency.

"Cassian?" she whispered into the communication device, bringing it close to her face. "I found a terminal and inserted the device. What's the code for the frequency?"

There was a delay before she heard anything. " _Jyn? Good. The code is_ 'sentinel'."

Jyn keyed in the letters, waiting for confirmation before withdrawing the hacking terminal.

"The message is sent. Repeat, the message is sent," she murmured into the communication device.

" _Good. Have you scoped out any good places for supplies?_ "

"Yes," she confirmed. "I'll be coming back to get items for bartering."

" _Acknowle_ —" a loud, incessant beeping cut Cassian off on his end.

"Cassian? Cassian?" Jyn throat suddenly felt too dry.

Static filled her ear before Cassian's voice did. " _Wait, Jyn. Don't come back... I think the ship was found. Multiple contacts are picking up on the scanner. Stay away._ " His voice disappeared shortly after.

"Cassian?" Nothing. "Cassian!"

The chatter of many conversations at once in the distance was the only sound to greet her.

Clenching her teeth, Jyn hooked the comm device and the hacking device to her vest and moved from the alleyway, merging herself easily back onto the crowded street. There was no way she wasn't going back.

Leaving the unallied settlement, she pushed her way through the glowing flora, growing increasingly desperate.

Nearing the location of the shuttle, Jyn dove to the ground by reflex when she heard the screaming drone of a TIE Fighter overhead.

Her heart sank. The ships on the scanner had been Imperials? But Raydonia was supposed to have minimal Imperial influence. That could only mean...

The shuttle had a tracker. The Empire had to have followed it.

If the Empire found Cassian on that shuttle, and they knew the shuttle came from Scarif, they would know he was a Rebel that attacked their planet.

Picking herself up off the ground, Jyn ran, frantic to find him before the Empire did.

If they hadn't already.

* * *

Ducking under the branch of a large tree, Jyn hid herself behind a large rock. Just beyond, the shuttle was landed in a small clearing, right where Cassian brought it down. There was a lot of sound coming from that direction, too much for it to be him alone.

She peeked her head out and narrowed her eyes, watching the numerous stormtroopers in the area moving in and out of the stolen shuttle. They appeared to be looking for the occupants.

"This ship's code indicated it came from Scarif! The Rebels just sabotaged the planet, it was probably used for escape! Secure the area, and find those Rebels." A stormtrooper's command reached her ears. At least Cassian seemed to have hid himself. But how far could he have really gotten himself in all that time?

Pulling the blaster from its holster at her hip, she once again started running, only this time it was away from their stolen ship's position.

"Cassian?" Jyn hissed quietly into the comm device. "Where are you?"

As expected, she got no response. Frustrated, she paused by a thick cluster of trees to catch her breath. Stormtroopers were only getting closer, if she didn't find Cassian now, they would both be separated permanently.

"Come in, Cassian where are you?" She tried the comm device once more.

Stormtroopers calling out could be heard in the distance. Jyn cursed to herself. Had they heard her? She scanned the direction she came from—

—and was shocked when a hand pressed tightly over her mouth while another controlled her hand holding the blaster. The arms belonging to the hands moved her backwards towards her attacker's body, their arms wrapped around her shoulders and stomach. "Shh—" her assailant began.

Jyn reacted without thinking, fueled by anxiety and fear. She elbowed her attacker and bit the hand covering her mouth. A small grunt told her she landed solid hits. In the half-second that followed, Jyn put all her weight backwards, continuing the momentum that her elbow jab allowed her.

Her attacker tipped backwards into the thick undergrowth. The hand gripping her hand that held the blaster continued to hold on, pulling her into the glowing flora with them.

Jyn wrenched her hand away to free her weapon mid-fall. She let the planet's gravity carry her all the way down, hoping to land on the person's solar plexus. She heard the gasped breath, then wasted no time in flipping over to gain the advantage, straddling them to the ground. She dug her knees into their side as she pointed her blaster right in their face.

Right in Cassian's face.

They stared at each other in shock.

His head thumped to the ground in exertion, breaking their eye contact. He didn't say anything for a long moment, breathing strained. "I wanted... to get your attention without scaring you. Or shooting me. Didn't expect you to... fight so fiercely back." His expression had the pain he was in written all over his face.

Heart still racing, Jyn sheathed the blaster and moved off Cassian. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. Realizing his splint was loose, she secured it.

"It doesn't matter now."

Jyn helped him sit up against a tree, ripping away leaves in the undergrowth to make them slightly more comfortable. "How did you manage to get this far on that leg?" she asked finally.

"It's not how, it's what choice did I have?" Cassian said with a glum sigh, eyes half-lidded.

Before she could respond, the sound of footsteps crunching leaves underfoot could be heard nearby.

Jyn stiffened when the steps grew louder, nearer. A pair of white-encased legs could be seen from their position in the undergrowth. Jyn stopped breathing when the stormtrooper stopped, the only sound being the static jumble coming from the trooper's comm unit.

"Report—nothing in the area. One more sweep and we'll return back to command. Those Rebels are long gone by now."

When the stormtrooper finally left the area, Jyn felt the tension knotting her muscles relax. She looked at Cassian with the intent to convey her relief, but the nervous pang that coursed through her spine stopped her. He looked unfocused and dazed, and his face was damp with perspiration. His wounds were catching up to him, and Jyn didn't have a single piece of equipment on her to help him.

They waited until the sky was a deep purple color, signifying Raydonia's night, before they even considered moving.

Cassian had been quiet the entire time, filling Jyn with worry.

"What do you want to do?" she queried him gently. They had no supplies now, no shelter, no money, no ship, and no hope. They were as good as stranded on this planet and they had no real way of obtaining mobility.

"Sleep." His response was a whisper, as if he wasn't present.

That wasn't a good thing, she knew. Sleeping unprepared in the wilderness was dangerous. Sleeping from too much pain was dangerous.

Cassian was still propped up against that tree; he hadn't moved from earlier. Carefully, Jyn hooked her arms under his to pull him to a spot just under a large rock nearby. It had a convenient overhang to protect him from any weather… whatever meteorological phenomena even graced the planet.

Re-checking his splint, Jyn pulled off her tattered vest to put under his head before she stood and quietly left their refuge.

* * *

Green lasers and explosions pierced the clouds, hiding the nearby star. He was running, running, before an overwhelming light blinded him, and...

The faint glow of light from the bioluminescent flora filled his gaze when his eyes opened. They were heavy and he felt too warm. Confusion swirled around him until his memories caught up with him, and he had to stifle a gasp when the pain did too.

Cassian forced himself pick at least his head up. He looked around slowly, focusing on the person splayed out next to him. She was on her stomach, head turned towards him. Her breathing was calm and rhythmic.

Jyn.

He tried with all his strength to remember what happened after the stormtroopers had left. That part in his mind was completely unclear.

Around him, he could see various fruits on the ground, as well as random medical syringes and bacta pods. A water pouch was within his reach.

It took a moment for his addled mind to consider everything around him, but he was eventually able to piece it together. She must gave gone back to the settlement, and possibly more than once. The new cuts and dried blood on her lip told him it was likely, and that it hadn't been easy, especially seeing that the blaster he gave her was still in her hand.

Cassian's brows furrowed, and he slumped his head back against whatever was underneath it. The peachy sky that was visible past the overhang of the rock he was under revealed that it was early morning. He recalled them landing in the early evening. Had she been running around all that time? With the potentiality of stormtroopers nearby?

He was stunned. Just how driven was Jyn Erso?

Cassian examined her face carefully. She was so deep in sleep that her features were completely relaxed and at peace; her typical stony and guarded face was not present. It put him at an odd peace of mind.

He could watch her sleeping forever, but Cassian knew he had to do something now.

Reaching for the water pouch, he took a few sips to bate his thirst. Then, with his good leg, he nudged the bacta pods and syringes towards himself. He assumed he was running a fever, or the tail end of one at least. The fact that one syringe was used meant that Jyn must have injected him with one already, probably at the high of the fever.

Filling the syringe with the contents from one of the pods, he injected himself at the thigh. He felt himself cooling down and becoming more focused almost immediately.

Bacta pods were medical supplies that were mostly painkillers with trace amounts of bacta material. Because bacta was so expensive and hard to come by, it was only introduced into these pods in infinitesimal amounts. Many sellers claimed to have bacta within them, but most pods didn't have even that, although they did have other healing agents. Those that were verified were costly within themselves.

Cassian propped himself up on his elbows, eventually able to sit up. He saw that his head was resting on her vest and he stared at it for a moment. He dusted it off and re-folded it, then stretched over to prop it under her head instead.

Using the overhang of the rock as a hold, Cassian hauled himself up from the ground, holding on to a rigid vine. He pulled it out of the ground, and using it as a crutch, hobbled over to the edge of the makeshift camp. He couldn't see anything of note in the glowing forest; it seemed like they were alone.

* * *

It was a few hours before Jyn awoke. Cassian had since cleaned up their small clearing, organizing what they had into little piles. He was sitting on a rock, water pouch in one hand and a piece of fruit in the other when he heard Jyn stir behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to look at her. She was sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

"I see you're awake," she mumbled sleepily.

"I see you're not," he teased back.

What he said made her gaze grow slightly wide as she seemed to remember where she was and the situation they were in. Her usual alert expression had also returned, and her eyes were traveling him up and down. Relief was also evident on her face.

"I went back to the settlement last night and stole the supplies that I see you have already used. It was in a more... affluent sector, so we should probably avoid it. There is also Imperial activity in the settlement now, so we can't stay on the planet for long. We have to find a way to smuggle ourselves off," Jyn explained.

His mouth was a thin line as he listened to her. That was indeed a problem. Hopefully settlement representatives would boot the Imperials off the planet, but they couldn't count on it. Jyn had given him an idea though.

He tossed her the water pouch before speaking. "We'll try to leave today. We don't have anything to offer anyone but ourselves, so that's exactly what we'll offer. We can find a ship that trades work for passage.

Jyn nodded after taking a drink. "Very well. That's one way I jumped from planet to planet and evaded the Empire... for a while, at least." Commander Solange and Admiral Rocwyn of the Five Points system had seen to the end of that part of her life, incarcerating her on Wobani. She never expected to live much longer than the six standard months she was there, but then again she never expected to be rescued or feel hope again.

Cassian knew her charges well. They could handle whatever work was thrown at them, he had confidence in that. "Were there a lot of ships in the ship bays?"

"A decent number, yes," Jyn confirmed. "I don't know how long they'll be there for, though. We should leave as soon as we're ready."

* * *

The walk to the settlement was slow. The vine he was using as a makeshift crutch was starting to wilt and lose some of its sturdy structure. Jyn was supporting some of Cassian's weight as they went along, but it still wasn't enough.

Glancing around, Jyn told Cassian to wait by the tree they stopped at as she moved through the foliage. There were snapping sounds before she returned, and when she did, she was holding a branch with a sharp end. "This should be stronger." She checked his splint once more, then continued offering her shoulder to him.

The settlement was as active as it had been the previous day. Jyn kept her head down, but she noticed from the corners of her eyes that Cassian was receiving a lot of unwanted gazes. He was a prime target for thieves in that hobbling state. Her hand drifted down to the blaster at her hip, comforting herself with the thought of using it if anyone tried anything.

Being in the seedy sector of the settlement had its benefits and drawbacks. They had no right to be picky, especially if they wanted to board a ship that had the best chances of being free of the Empire's influence. Smugglers were their safest bet.

Despite the attention, Cassian seemed to be outwardly confident, forging through the crowded street as if he was walking normally, even though he wasn't. Jyn wondered what was keeping potential petty thieves at bay, until she noticed the chilling, icy expression he was wearing. He looked like a man ready to kill at even the smallest disturbance.

Cassian spoke quietly, seemingly unaware of her internal scrutiny. "There's a cantina nearby. Let's see if we can find a pilot there."

* * *

Her parents had always warned her about straying into strange places.

Saw Gerrera had always praised the abundance of information that could be found there.

Upon entering the cantina, it was reaffirmed to Jyn that both sentiments were correct. She was quite used to cantinas, but she had started avoiding them once they became more detrimental than they were worth.

She felt herself being pulled against her companion, and Cassian whispered in her ear, "Stay close."

She let him guide her to a table, and sat down as he went to speak to the bartender. Cassian returned as quickly as his leg would allow, sitting next to her instead of across from her with a pained sigh. The splint and bacta injections were certainly doing their job, but his discomfort was still obvious.

"I spoke to the bartender. Said he'll do me the favor of bringing potential pilots to the table in honor of being a 'veteran' of the war." Cassian said after a moment, his smile sly and bitter.

Jyn raised a single eyebrow. "Veteran?"

"Of the Clone Wars," he supplied. "I got a bad leg from the fighting as a child, okay?" he spoke in a quieter tone. "My name will be Aach."

"Okay, and who am I?"

"You're—"

Before he could finish, a male Bothan and a female human sat at the other end of the table.

The Bothan looked out towards the cantina, clearly disinterested. The human female leaned forward, and began speaking. "Barkeep said you were lookin' for a crew to work for?"

"Yes, we are. My pilot here, Aach, couldn't avoid the asteroid debris and we crash-landed on this planet. The ship and all our supplies were lost. His piloting skills from the Clone Wars surely saved us." Maybe they would be enticed with the knowledge of hiring a skilled pilot?

"Oh, a crash, huh? Most unfortunate. So, you have nothing to offer for passage?" The human female, clearly Mandalorian, leaned back slightly, apparently uninterested in their Clone Wars bait.

"No, that's why we're willing to work for passage." Jyn clasped her hands together under the table to avoid becoming visibly impatient.

"Aach and...?" The woman inquired.

"Kestrel."

"Hmm." The woman smiled. "Grothor, what do you think?" She looked up to the Bothan.

"Nothing. I do not care for this, Felu. Let us go already." Grothor sounded bored.

Felu turned her gaze back to Jyn and Cassian. "In terms of crash-landing... There have been a lot of Imperials swarming the area lately, looking for someone who stole a shuttle. Questioning all the poor folk who are trying to go about their business. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that... _would_ you? There's a hefty reward for their capture." Her voice was sweetly soft, and the look in her eyes unnerved Jyn.

Grothor's eyes suddenly turned to them, piqued.

She felt something cold press against her kneecap under the table, and Jyn froze. Swallowing, she kept her voice steady while she pinched Cassian's hand, signaling that something was wrong. "No, we know nothing about that."

Cassian gripped her hand with his own in response.

"I'm sure the Empire can decide that. Seems like the both of you won't be walking out of here any time soon... Liana Hallik, right?" Felu chuckled at the sinister double-meaning, eyes glowing victoriously.

Jyn felt swift movement from Cassian, and the cold was no longer on her knee. He had kicked the blaster away just as the woman had her finger on the trigger. Almost simultaneously, a blaster shot could be heard hitting the ground as Jyn shoved the table towards the Mandalorian and the Bothan.

The cantina fell quiet as Jyn and Cassian rushed out. She felt a blaster bolt whiz by her ear.

"Hey, not in here!" a voice shouted from inside the cantina, distant to the two of them as they were already outside.

"So much for honoring your veterans," Cassian muttered as they hurried away.

"Just keep moving." Jyn pushed him forward slightly to increase his pace, watching him stagger unevenly with his splinted leg. How did that woman know her as Liana Hallik? Because she couldn't remember the woman at all. Were they paid to find her? If so, who would know that information?

The duo slipped down an alleyway, taking a few random turns. They were near the ship bays now... Jyn wondered if they could steal a ship, since it was their only option at this point.

"Come this way."

The sudden voice from another shadowed alleyway made Cassian freeze. Her gaze swung in the direction the voice came from as her hand dropped down to her blaster, struggling to pick them out in the shadows. Cassian looked ready to rush forward and bash the speaker with his crutch, but Jyn rested her fingertips against his back in a silent gesture. When it became apparent they weren't going to be jumped or surprised, she forced the tension out of her shoulders. "Follow," she urged Cassian. She knew better than to go against aid in the middle of danger.

Once she saw him limp after the receding figure, Jyn pulled out her blaster when she heard rapid footsteps approaching down one of the alleyways. She pulled the trigger at the owners when they appeared, the woman and the Bothan from the cantina. They darted for cover, and she took the opportunity to run after the unknown person and Cassian, knocking over a stack of barrels on her way to block the path.

The shadowed alley opened to a ship bay with a beaten-looking YT-1300 freighter docked there.

Cassian was leaning heavily on the stick, next to a brown-haired human male. Jyn approached them cautiously.

"So, as I've been saying," the man began once he noticed Jyn, "if you both want to make it off this planet, you should come on board. I think trust is luxury right now, one that neither of you have."

Jyn glanced towards Cassian and saw that his jaw was set. "What do you think?" Cassian asked her. The clear distrust of the situation reflected in his gaze told her it was more of a rhetorical question.

"I don't think we have any time to discuss this right now." Her point was proven by the woman and the Bothan running into the ship bay, blasters raised and ready to fire. Jyn ran up the freighter's open ramp without letting Cassian reply, knowing they needed to get _off_ the planet. He had a strong will, like her; they would just have to face potential consequences later. She missed the smug look the stranger gave Cassian.

The stranger and Cassian followed behind her.

"Chewie, raise the ramp! We're leaving this forsaken glowing planet!" The stranger called as he ran down one of the ship's curving corridors. A roar sounded back, muted by the distance and design of the ship.

" _Jyn._ " Cassian took firm hold of her sleeve, the miffed tone he used adding weight to the single syllable.

Jyn turned towards him. "This is no different than what you and the Rebellion put me through before, _Captain_. I'm doing what's necessary for us to survive." She could hear the stubbornness in her own tone.

Cassian regarded her with equal intensity, although she could see him almost wilt at that address. "Did you think about how they knew exactly where we'd be? What if they're mercenaries hired by the Imperials, just like those other two might be? We would have been better off stealing a ship."

The freighter shook violently upon takeoff, making Cassian stumble and drop his stuck. Jyn caught him and pulled him close, their faces almost touching. She was aware of that possibility. But she wasn't going back to Wobani again. Her voice was frosty, indicating that the answer to her question would be important. "Do you trust me?"

The strange man yelled something about TIE Fighters from the cockpit, and the unknown creature snarled in response. That alone made it apparent that they weren't working for the Imperials; while it wasn't of much reassurance, it at least meant they were out of immediate danger.

Cassian didn't move away. The anger in his eyes dissipated and he relented. "Yes."

She pulled away slightly at his answer. "And I trust you. These people seem like exactly the kind we were looking for. We're doing this for Rogue One. Are you with me on this?"

His voice was muted, but his eyes seemed a little bit brighter. "Every step of the way."


	2. The Falcon

A/N: Thank you for your patience with the long wait!

* * *

 _the falcon_

. . .

The ship rumbled as it left the atmosphere. The barrage of TIE Fighters didn't make it any smoother.

Cassian followed Jyn as they made their way around the winding freighter. They followed the sounds made by the pilots until they reached the cockpit.

Jyn unexpectedly stopped short of the entrance, leaving Cassian to almost stumble with his current lack of finesse.

Peering around her, he poked his head in to examine the cockpit and followed her gaze to see a furry alien, as tall as K-2SO, sitting in the co-pilot seat.

"That's a Wookiee," he whispered to her.

She glanced at him, and nodded slowly at the given information. She seemed unfamiliar with the creature.

"He's friendly. Now, if you want to get into hyperspace, I suggest you help shoot these Imperials down." The strange man spoke impatiently when he heard them, not even sparing them a look. He continued briskly, "There are top- and bottom-mounted turrets on this ship. Go back into the hallway and either climb or descend a ladder off to the side."

Complying without fuss, Jyn edged around Cassian and moved off hurriedly to where the ladders were. Before she chose one, she shot a questioning look towards her companion once he appeared. "Which is easiest for you to manage?"

Cassian stopped, a hand bracing the wall as the ship rumbled again. "I don't think it makes a difference."

"Hm, I'll take this one then." Jyn climbed the ladder to the top-mounted turret and vanished from sight.

With far less grace, Cassian lowered himself into the controls for the bottom-mounted turret. Slumping into the seat, he waited for the painful wave to subside. His leg was hurting more than he wanted to admit since the bacta was wearing off.

TIE Fighters closing in on the turret window spurred Cassian into action. He grasped the controls, taken by surprise when the controls moved the seat as well as the turret. Having no time to properly understand them, he wildly aimed and pressed what he thought might be the triggers.

Red laser bolts shot out, missing their target. The TIE Fighter pilot, now alerted to the fact that they were targeted, took more evasive maneuvers as they approached again. He tried to lead the starfighter, noting his lasers were closer. He repeated his actions again on the third attempt, relieved when he struck the starship. It spun wildly before exploding in a burst of red and orange light.

Cassian sighed in relief once he could see no more Imperial fighters outside of the weapon's transparisteel viewport. Removing himself carefully from the chair, he climbed up the ladder using only his arms and one leg. Painful twinges shot through him at each bar, and he tried not to shudder at the feeling when he crawled up into the ship's main corridor; he lay there momentarily to catch his breath before leaning his back against the wall.

Jyn had descended her ladder only half a minute after him, so he unfortunately had no time to rest, it seemed. He was about to force himself to stand up again, but she crouched in front of him, avoiding his stretched-out limbs, and put her hand firmly on his shoulder. It signaled to him to stay exactly where he was. As much as he didn't want to, his muscles were agreeing more with her than with him.

Her words followed almost immediately from her gesture. "The bacta pod can't keep the worst of the pain away for much longer. I don't know anyone else who could do what you have done on a fractured leg, so you should rest now."

"I don't think I have that luxury," Cassian grouched in bare irritation. While he didn't really have any problems with Jyn, his condition frustrated him. He also felt something off about their strange freighter pilot. Strange as in them being dumped on some strange, barren moon without a second thought. Or perhaps turned in to the Imperials for a profit or pardon.

Jyn's expression was stern, but her voice held a peculiar gentleness that he wasn't expecting. "If you don't heal, then we won't be able to find the rest of our unit."

Cassian directed his dark eyes to look at the ground. "I suppose so." His eyes traveled over the ridged, curved corridor in thought. Did they even make it off Scarif? His gaze quickly darted back to Jyn's face upon a sudden question coming to him, if only to keep the conversation focused on the present moment and not Scarif. "How many TIEs did you shoot down?"

Jyn, who had since withdrawn her hand, stared down at her open palms, resting on her thighs. "Three. They were swarming over the top half of the ship."

Cassian opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He regarded her with a bemused expression before a cleared throat interrupted them.

Both Rogue One members turned their heads to see their pilot standing there, elbow propped against the wall as he watched them coolly. "Nice shooting," he spoke up in his surly voice. "However, we have no time for playing around. Fix your injuries in the cabin, and then we'll go over introductions and... our schedule, after." He tossed a thick gauze to Cassian before smirking, and he disappeared as he walked down the looping corridor. Wrapped inside the gauze were a few bacta pods and a cloth.

Cassian wondered off-handedly how it was possible that he sounded moody and suave at the same time. Glaring at the gauze in his hand, he grimaced. So much for not portraying weakness.

Jyn helped Cassian up and they moved to the cabin area. He sat down on a bench seat wrapped around a small table hosting a Dejarik game. His eyes continued to wander around the common area as Jyn fixed the gauze on his leg to stabilize it.

When she was done, she stepped back and nodded at her handiwork in satisfaction.

Cassian glanced down at it, noting the pressure on his limb felt far less intense. She had soaked it in one of the bacta pods, and the slight cooling effect did wonders for the sharp pain. It wasn't as direct as injecting it, but any bacta applied in any way would still quicken the healing process; it would just simply take a longer time than if he had been submerged in a bacta tank.

Removing the cloth from one of his pockets, he beckoned Jyn over to him. "Can I see one of the pods?"

Nodding, she dropped one into his outstretched palm, watching him curiously.

He squeezed the pod into the cloth, and being careful not to lose any liquid by catching drops that fell, he indicated for her to come closer still. "How's your sprain?"

"That medical droid on the shuttle stabilized it nicely. It hasn't bothered me," she said steadily, stepping closer to him. "I rolled with the explosion on the tower too, so it was a minimal one. More like a pulled muscle."

"I see," Cassian said slowly, falling into a lapse of concentration. Stretching his arm out, he dabbed at the cuts on her face gently, pleased to see the dried blood and cuts disappear.

When he pulled his hand away, Jyn spoke, a note of surprise to her voice. "These bacta pods seems purer than the pods on Raydonia."

"That's because they are far purer than whatever cheap bantha fodder you used there. I need you both healed so you can complete your jobs." Instead of Cassian answering, it was the strange pilot. Again. He came from the direction of the cockpit, pausing when he was in the middle of the common area. The Wookiee followed him, carrying two large bags on his shoulders. It dropped them on the ground with a thud.

The strange man whipped around. "Careful, you large lumbering oaf! There are explosives in there!"

The Wookiee roared in response.

The pilot turned back around, seeing both of their weary expressions on him. "Name's Han Solo, captain of the _Millennium Falcon_ , fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy," he said proudly, as if it was something he was used to saying on repeat. "Behind me is my co-pilot, Chewbacca." He indicated to the Wookiee behind him.

"My name is Myrina, and this here is… Paxton," Jyn spoke immediately, as if the names came naturally to her.

Han nodded without question. "Sure." With effort, he shoved a bag towards them. "In there you'll find all sorts of weapons, communication devices, and thermal detonators. Arm yourselves properly. We'll be arriving in the Thand sector in a few hours. When we get there, you'll be briefed further. If this succeeds, both of you will get a large portion of the pay cut." He smiled. Turning back to the Wookiee, he patted the large, fuzzy alien on the arm. "Chewie, do me a favor and grab our fellow crew members ration bars and water packs. They'll serve no use otherwise." Han left afterwards, disappearing down one of the other hallways.

The Wookiee did as he was told with a huffing sound, handing them another bag full of ration bars and water packs, before he too left the cabin area.

Cassian turned to Jyn once he was sure they were gone. "Paxton?"

"I made that up." She said after a moment, "What's so special about the Thand sector?"

He shrugged. "That's where the Ring of Kafrene is, a major trading outpost." Unwelcome memories of shooting his contact Tivik came to mind.

"Really? Maybe we're just picking up something," Jyn suggested.

"Possibly. It's also likely that we're going there for information," Cassian said. "In the meantime, we should pick our weapons." He started to root through the weapons bag. He pulled out a blaster, a smaller pistol, and several explosives.

Jyn did the same, pulling out a pistol for herself. She also took out a knife, sheathing it on her belt. She then pulled the bag containing the ration bars and water packs closer. "Huh, there's a satchel in here," she spoke with slight surprise. Pulling it out, she stuffed it with ration bars, water packs, and a couple of extra bacta pods that they still had. "Now we wait, I suppose."

* * *

It turned out that they had to wait for two hours as the ship navigated through hyperspace. The rest and relaxation were certainly nice, but Jyn found herself growing impatient. It didn't feel right, sitting around doing nothing. The rest of Rogue One could be alive, but there was no way they could find that out right now.

Glancing over at Cassian, who sat next to her on the bench, she noted he had since grown unusually quiet.

"Is there something up?" Jyn prompted.

The man shook his head. "No. But going back to the Ring of Kafrene, well, it just has a lot of significance to me. I… I first learned about _those_ plans there. It's a great place for spies. I'm not so sure we should be seen so carelessly. I'm sure we wouldn't be recognized regardless, since it's a huge hub, but there's no telling what could happen."

He seemed to be particularly reminiscent, which led her to believe there was something left unsaid. As to what that might be, though, she had no idea. What exactly was the Ring of Kafrene? "I think we'll be fine. Scarif might be known, but us being the cause of it probably isn't."

"I'm sure the news of Scarif's assault is halfway across the galaxy by now," he agreed.

The ship shuddered for the thousandth time, but this one was worse, and Jyn realized they must have come out of hyperspace. Her suspicion was confirmed when both the pilot and the Wookiee emerged from the hallway that led to the cockpit. She tensed upon seeing that they were both armed, earning her a reproachful look from Han Solo.

"We've arrived at the Thand sector, just a short distance away from a trading outpost. Chewie and I will be going to get information, and then we'll be on our way." He didn't comment on their tenseness, although it seemed like he wanted to.

"When are we going to learn about this _schedule_ of yours?" Cassian's voice was low and gravelly.

Han smirked. "Hey now, it's your schedule too. You'll hear of it as soon as we get what we need, which is confirmation of our mission."

The pilot and co-pilot spent the rest of the time running around the ship, preparing for their landing at the trading outpost.

Another shudder seemed to signify the ship's landing.

Han Solo and Chewbacca appeared once again, leading Jyn and Cassian through the curving hallway to the boarding ramp. It was already lowered, and soon Jyn felt the grit of the hangar bay under her boots. The boarding ramp receded into the ship's hull with a groan, making her look back in surprise.

"You two can stay here, get some fresh air. We won't be long," Han broke the silence, already walking away with the Wookiee following.

Jyn saw that Cassian was already moving to sit among the crates that were piled around their docked ship. His stride looked stronger already, although she could tell he was still favoring his leg. She followed him at a slower pace, taking in the hanger around them, peering into the shadows.

Luckily, their pilot had chosen a rather empty place to dock, so there wasn't much in the way of other lifeforms. A few astromech and cargo droids moved around the large space, but that was it.

"So, what's here that you haven't told me about?" Jyn whispered. "Is it really just a mere trading outpost?"

Cassian leaned in close to answer, voice quiet. "If you can think it, then it's probably here. Imperial squadrons, Rebel spies, Hutt bounty hunters, mercenaries, space pirates, and crime syndicates. Everything."

Jyn didn't say anything. She was used to dealing with those kinds of people, so she wasn't fazed. The only difference was that back then, she was used to relying only on herself. No one ever stuck to her side when things went awry, and she knew then that that was the most reliable feature of people, that they could and would disappoint. They would disappear. Finding Cassian, finding that he would back her up no matter what his orders, that was the sole difference of her situation. And even if she didn't fully realize it yet, she didn't want to lose that. She didn't want to lose _him_. Having such trust only made what they were doing now more difficult, more difficult than she could have ever thought possible.

Lost deep in her thoughts, Jyn didn't realize that her eyes were still on his. Cassian was still meeting her gaze, calmly watching her.

She blinked, remembering that she had wanted to ask something else. "Why do you seem so aggravated whenever our…" she paused in hesitance. It didn't feel right to use the word pilot, to her that was synonymous with Bodhi. "When Han Solo speaks?" She could honestly say she didn't trust him either, but she had noted that he had set Cassian on edge more than once.

Cassian finally broke eye contact. "I don't trust him, I have the sense he's getting us into more than he's saying," he rumbled. "He's also on Imperial radar, and he conveniently appeared to get us off the planet."

"But isn't it impossible for him to know who we are, if you're suggesting that?"

Cassian shook his head. "He doesn't know _us,_ Jyn and Cassian. But he probably knows that Liana Hallik was arrested, and then escaped. Or rather, was rescued by a Rebel extraction. I'm sure he's a mercenary. He was in a place where mercenaries gathered, just like the woman who obviously recognized you. And if we knew who you were when we extracted you, then it's doubtless that others did too. He probably wants to use your skills."

"That might be the case. I wasn't trying to make enemies with anyone but the Empire, although… I probably crossed a few people I shouldn't have when I was with Saw. And after he left me, there's a chance I could have become reckless with abandon and maybe crossed a few more people. So maybe it's a possibility that Liana Hallik is more known than I would have thought in the realm of crime." Jyn shrugged, slightly sheepish. That brought her to another consideration. "I wonder who's paying him."

"He isn't with the Empire or the Alliance, so I imagine he's with a third party. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a crime syndicate of some sort." He leaned back into one of the other crates.

"So long as we get a cut, he could work with a Hutt and I wouldn't care." Jyn knew they needed credits to do anything. The galaxy ran on them, those that had lined pockets could control entire worlds. They, however, had nothing but the clothes they wore. Not even a single credit to their names.

Cassian smiled ruefully. Jyn took in the expression with a curious tingling sensation in her fingertips, but her attention was ripped from him with the sound of marching footsteps. She knew the sound of stormtrooper marching all too well. She slipped into a crouch behind the crates, drawing her blaster from her belt. Cassian joined her a slow, unsteady moment later, his own blaster drawn.

"Can you see how many there are?" she asked.

"Five," he replied grimly, staring between the crates.

Jyn cursed under her breath. Why were stormtroopers here? Was it a trap? Were they _still_ being followed, somehow?

They drew near to the rescinded boarding ramp. "The ship's inaccessible and there appears to be no one here. This is indeed the ship that was scanned with expired permits…" One of the troopers could be heard speaking into a comlink. "CF-8462, go check those crates. Make sure there's nothing there."

She rested her finger on the blaser's trigger. Just as she knew they'd be seen, hurried footsteps echoed throughout the hangar. "Wait!" a voice called. Han's voice.

"Are you the pilot of this ship?" The original stormtrooper asked, tone militaristic.

The footsteps of CF-8462 ambled away from the crates.

Han cleared his voice. "Ah, hm, yes. Why… why do you ask?"

"Your ship was scanned upon entry, your scandocs expired. Three months ago."

"Oh, they did? I'll be sure to renew them." A disbelieving rumble from the Wookiee followed Han's proclamation.

"Where's your cargo manifest?" The stormtrooper was beginning to sound impatient.

"I'm sorry, I can't show that, we uh, lost it."

Jyn couldn't see any of the confrontation behind her hiding place, but it was easy to tell that Han was losing the verbal battle quite pathetically.

"Let us on the ship." The clicking of the stormtroopers bringing their weapons to bear was audible in the hangar.

Knowing they would be in a bind if they sat around doing nothing, Jyn inched her way along the crates and signaled her intent to Cassian with a silent gesture. Wedging herself in a small space she found, she caught sight of the five stormtroopers that he identified and steadied her blaster pistol on the corner of the crate. She pressed down on the trigger.

A red bolt struck one of the troopers in the shoulder, and they went down with a cry. The four others whipped around and rang off their own shots with trained reflexes. Jyn shrank back and lowered herself to the floor when a bolt barely missed her ear.

Blaster fire resounded back and forth, and before she knew it, all the troopers were twitching on the ground. The air smelled of ozone from the plasma bolts as silence finally fell. Jyn rose to her feet, and scanned the area warily before she looked to Han. He had his weapon drawn and a relieved smile on his face.

"Thanks. I thought we were bantha fodder," Han Solo said with a note of chagrin. The tone was more than she ever thought possible from him.

"Yeah, well, I hope you have what you need, because we need to get out of here _now_ ," Cassian interrupted impatiently.

The sound of rushing footsteps in the distance proved his words. Han rushed to the boarding ramp without comment, and the Wookiee followed once it was lowered. Cassian made it to the edge of the ramp before it started raising, and he extended his hand to Jyn. She grasped it, and he hauled her up before it closed entirely.

* * *

Cassian closed his eyes as he slumped against the bench seat in the _Falcon's_ common area. The bacta pod he used moments before finally took effect, and he sighed. Each successive treatment proved invaluable, and he was sure that by the time they reached their destination, he would be able to walk again properly.

Planet Kessel. A place he had only heard in stories. It was a planet well-known in the underworld, a place he heard often during his missions with the Rebellion. He knew of its foul nature well, and now that he was finally going to witness it first-hand, he wasn't sure what to expect. A part of him felt the familiar urge to gather information while he was there, something he could provide to the Rebellion. But he had no easy routes to get there yet; not to mention, he was slightly worried about getting shot for what could be considered treason. He was a captain of the Rebellion; disobeying orders wasn't taken lightly. And what of the Death Star? Did the Empire finish them off? Was Yavin IV gone?

He fiddled with his blaster, memorizing its shape behind his shut eyelids. Han's explanation of their mission was vaguer than he preferred, but he understood. If they were captured, the information couldn't be transferred. It was a common and highly successful tactic.

They were going to Kessel. They were to rendezvous with an underworld supplier to steal unknown shipments and drop them off at a specific, deserted region of space. There was no information offered on the contents of the shipments, the supplier, the one who hired Han, or the region they were drop off the shipments.

While Cassian didn't know any of those things, by using simple estimation and deduction, he could guess what they might be doing. Kessel's top export was spice. It was practically their sole export. The galaxy ran on the drugs produced by the spice as much as it ran on credits. If Han Solo was a smuggler, then they would obviously be smuggling out shipments of spice. And what better way to do that then follow the infamous Kessel Run route? The infamy of the route was tried and proven by many skilled pilots. But the main question he had was that of Han Solo's employer.

He was roused from his musings by Jyn's movement around the common area. After Han learned that she was extremely skilled at altering scandocs—something he undoubtedly already knew—he set her to work as quickly as he could. She held the finish product in her hand, extending it to Chewbacca, who stood at the entrance of the main corridor.

The Wookiee rumbled and went back down the same corridor he stood in.

He watched as Jyn rearranged her satchel for the sixth time. She checked her weapons again.

"Didn't you already check all of those things?" Cassian asked her lightly.

"Yes, but it doesn't hurt to be sure." She repeated the motions she went through the last several times, and when she was satisfied, she faced him. "How are you feeling now?"

He stretched out his leg carefully. "It feels much better. I think I'll be able to walk on it quite well once we get to Kessel."

She nodded, looking pleased. "Good. We'll be there shortly, so we'll need to be in top shape."

Cassian knew that as well as she did. While they were different, they were both the same. She was a petty criminal. He was a rebellious pilot. Their capabilities overlapped quite a bit, and in the end, were they really that different? He worked for Mon Mothma, and she, for a period, worked for Saw Gerrera. They were both extensions of the same belief system.

The freighter's rumbling started, and he knew they must be exiting hyperspace. The ship rocked and groaned, but it eventually steadied out. He imagined that Han and Chewbacca were using Jyn's forged scandocs to get access to the planet. The ship remained calm until it started entering Kessel's atmosphere. Then the ship rumbled and tossed as much as before.

Chewbacca appeared again, a large crossbow in his grasp. He also had a large bag slung over his shoulder, and he roared before motioning to them with one of his large hands. Cassian stood amidst the wild bucking of the ship, and he was surprised that his leg didn't give out under him. It was sensitive, but he was sure he could do what was needed of him now, just so long as he didn't overwork it.

He touched the blaster at his side and stepped forward, following both the Wookiee and Jyn as they traveled through the curved corridor. He had to brace himself against the durasteel wall when the ship lurched aggressively, and he was careful about where he put his foot down. They made their way to the corridor that held the boarding ramp, quickly reviewing the plan in his mind.

Getting down to Kessel was their first objective. They were supposed to split up and make their way to one of the mines, Mine 2A, separately, and meet up behind the large plateau that held ship landing platforms. They had to find their inner operative and meet with them, collect the spice, and leave unnoticed.

It sounded simple, but Cassian knew it was anything but. There were a lot of factors that could go wrong. They could get lost or fall down one of the drops in the terrain. Imperial watchtowers could spot them. Their supplier was unknown, only identifiable by a spoken code. The shipments could be damaged or destroyed. It was dangerous, but if they pulled it off, the amount of credits they'd receive would be well-worth the risk.

So long as they received what they were promised. He would make sure they were.

The rocking back and forth continued, and a hard jolt nearly sent him sprawling. He clutched at the wall and caught himself. Jyn nearly toppled over too, but he extended his arm to catch her. She felt warm through her vest, and the sensation was quickly replaced by the cool air as she pulled away, a grateful, almost-hidden smile on her face.

He smiled in return, removing his hand from the wall when the ship remained still. They must have landed where they needed to.

His smile vanished when Han Solo finally joined them.

"I've set the _Falcon_ down a klick away from Mine 2A. It'll be a long walk, so keep an eye on your rations," Han instructed. "Your comlinks should be adjusted to our frequency, so if something goes wrong, buzz in. Otherwise, try to remain silent. Are there any questions?"

"Yes, when do we start?" Jyn asked, a smirk on her face.

Han matched her expression. "Well I've been had. Right now, _Myrina_."

Following his words, the boarding ramp lowered, and they all descended in single-file. The first thing Cassian noticed was the russet-colored rocks. They were various shapes, with many forming arches and flat-topped plateaus. A dry wind kicked up, but that was expected from Kessel's northern hemisphere. Dust filled much of the air, and he had to turn away as it blew right in his face. When it passed, he observed his holomap and oriented himself in the direction he needed to go. He saw Jyn doing the same.

Han held his hand up in farewell before he started hiking in a different direction. Chewbacca left in another direction, and soon Cassian was left alone with Jyn.

He moved closer to her. "If you're in trouble, you let me know, all right?" His tone was firm.

"I will. The plan is to do this successfully, so don't count on me needing help. I know what I'm doing, this is right up my alley." Her tone was amused. "Just make sure you don't land yourself in a situation where you need _my_ help."

Cassian nodded. "I know. And don't count on that, either. I know well enough what the stakes are. I've played worse before, if you can believe it." He paused to consider something for a moment. "Here, take this." He removed another comlink from his pocket and placed it in her palm. He watched her study it curiously.

"What is this for?" she queried.

"It's a comlink connected to mine. It also has the capability to connect with the secret frequency that the Rebellion uses to communicate with. I doubt it will connect to them, since their frequencies are blocked, but if something happens with… our friends, then let me know privately. I can do so vice versa. While they are our acquaintances, they aren't our friends."

Jyn stared at the comlink for a moment longer before she wrapped her hand around it. "Very well. Stay safe, Cassian. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Jyn," he returned. He watched her round a bend, then she disappeared. He stood there, staring at the spot for a moment longer. He prayed to the Force or whatever else might be out there that it wasn't the last time he would see her. She couldn't die, and he couldn't die. They sacrificed too much for everything to end here. He looked down at the pair of comlinks in his hand, his personal one and the one he received from Han. Their surfaces felt cool, and he clutched them for reassurance before he slipped them in his pocket.

He checked his blaster, his pistol, and the explosives that were stored safely inside one of the bolt-resistant satchels he found before they landed. Once he was satisfied that he was set, he briefly scanned the terrain around the freighter, if only to memorize the location in case he needed to return by visual sight alone.

When he was satisfied that he could find his way back, he turned in the direction he needed to go and started walking. Nothing specific came to view, everything he could see were the repetitive, russet rocks. He followed a thin trail, carefully testing his leg as he went. It felt steady. Now all that was left was to complete their mission and leave Kessel. And after that? Maybe he and Jyn would finally have the means to search for Rogue One. Maybe they could finally be united. Maybe they would finally have answers. Maybe they would finally have the means to fight back against something that couldn't be stopped, the means to end a tyranny that threatened to swallow everything in the galaxy whole.


	3. Resolved Tenacity

_resolved tenacity_

. . .

Jyn didn't know how long she was walking for. She lost count of her steps ages ago, and the monotony of the environment blended together in an incoherent manner. The distance was only a klick, but it felt like at least a dozen klicks. The going was incredibly slow, because one wrong misstep and she'd either sprain her ankle or fall down one of the occasional drops. Neither would ensure the success of the mission or her survival.

The Kessel sun was finally starting to set as she traveled through a thin valley with high, uneven walls. The air temperature dropped considerably. The russet rocks were faded to a muted blue hue without the light on them, and the going felt more comfortable. Jyn paused by a cave entrance to sip at her water pack and returned it to her satchel when she was done.

It was then when she heard a low growling sound. Turning her head slowly, she stiffened when her eyes landed on a small, furry creature at the mouth of the cave. Most of it was doused in shadow, so she couldn't make out what it was. It moved towards her at a pace that felt far too slow to be safe, as if it was stalking her.

The more it came out of the shadows, the more she realized that it was not as small as she first thought. It wasn't tall by any means, but it was incredibly long. It had large, wide eyes that reflected the silver moonlight on the front of its face, a squarish snout, clumps of shaggy and tussled fur, and six appendages with long claws.

And when it opened its mouth slowly to growl again, she could see the low light glint off sharp teeth. That was Jyn's cue to take a few steps back. Her hand traveled to her blaster holster, afraid that making sudden movements would set the creature off. Was the cave its den? Did she stray too close?

No one warned her about encountering any dangerous fauna.

It suddenly leaped. Her reflexes kicked in, and she rolled out of the way. The creature skittered to a halt before it smashed into one of the boulders on the other side of the path. She took the few seconds to yank her blaster from her belt. When it turned and faced her again, she raised it, but only fired when it was in midair. The plasma bolt struck the creature in the shoulder, and the scent of singed fur filled the air. The force of the shot knocked it back, away from landing on her, and she angled herself to move further down the path, ducking behind a large rock that stuck out of the valley wall. She wanted to run, her instincts screamed at her to, but the path was too narrow for that. Too rocky. Too treacherous.

Just as she was about to inch her way along and hopefully leave the creature's home, she realized there was silence. Was it gone? Heart hammering, she risked a peek from behind her rock.

There was nothing there.

She let out a sigh, but she didn't return her blaster. Her hand was shaking more than she wanted to admit, and it felt good to hold a weapon. Sentient life could be reasoned with. Sentient life could be fooled. Life that wasn't sentient was highly dangerous, because they worked without higher reasoning. Without distraction. With instincts.

Sentient life could be fooled.

Jyn carefully moved from her cover. All she had to do was quickly leave the area. Han Solo gave them until the afternoon of the following day to arrive, so she still had time to find somewhere to rest.

A sharp, chilling tingle went down her spine. She whipped around, and her gaze met the reflecting one of the creature. It perched atop the rock she had been hiding behind. Waiting for her. When did it get there?

Before she could raise her blaster pistol, the creature jumped down. She only had enough reaction time to avoid a killing blow. Jyn felt the claws skim her arm, and the force of the impact sent her tumbling backwards. Terror filled her. Was she going to die like this? Mauled by an alien creature on a backwater world?

The creature crouched in front of her. Toying with her. She scrambled in a crabwalk further back, desperate to put space between them. It moved calmly, as if it knew it had won. The path pitched downwards, and she used the opportunity to roll backwards naturally onto her feet. She prepared to run, kriff the terrain, but the creature kept pace and pushed her. Jyn fell off balance again and landed near a low overhang in the rock face. Tears of fear and frustration pricked the corners of her eyes.

The creature made a noise that sounded like nails on durasteel to her and something told her that it was preparing to end this game. As it jumped again, she rolled herself under the overhang. Her movement was so instinctive that she didn't even consider an alternative action, she had no choice. The rock scraped and wrenched her shoulders as she squeezed inside and it pressed down on her, leaving her flat on her stomach. Claws scratched at the rock a heartbeat later.

There was a snuffling sound, and the creature reached an experimental paw in. The claws clipped her cargo pants, so Jyn drew her leg closer to her and then sent a firm kick to it. The paw was drawn back and didn't return. From her prone position, she could see the creature pacing back and forth. She couldn't use her blaster since it was in her right hand, away from the slim opening.

Only then did she remember that she had an additional option.

Jyn reached into her satchel with her left hand, thankful that she was able to reach it. The pain from that arm was finally starting to register, and the cloth there felt damp. Jolts of fire flew up her arm as she fished out a comlink and drew it closer to her. She fingered the transmission button. "Cassian?"

There was silence for what felt like an eternity, but a crackle sound, then his voice, filled the void. "Jyn? What is it?"

"Help... attacked... I'm trapped." The words tumbled out incoherently, and she fought to control them. She hated the tone of her voice, how unsteady she sounded. She hated how defeated she felt.

"What?" His questioning reply came quickly. "Attacked by what? Where are you?"

"I... I don't know. Strange creature. Valley of route C." They discussed the routes each person would take during the revelation of what the job was. Each person needed a general understanding of the other's route.

Where she was on her route was an impasse. It was nearly impossible to get to where she was without time or the proper tools. And they had neither. She knew this, and she knew Cassian did too.

Her knowledge was confirmed. "I can't get to you from there." His voice sounded pained. "Is there no way you can escape?" There was a long pause. "Are you hurt?"

While she knew he could do very little for her, hearing him took her focus off the mind-numbing fear; she was able to think of her options, at least. "...I might be able to." She closed her eyes and tried to summon her inner calm, the place in her mind she was used to visiting during her time with Saw. "And not too badly... I think." She had no current way to determine the extent of the damage those claws did.

She heard him say something, but she didn't hear it. She heard another sound in the distance, feeble and shrill. Jyn saw the pacing paws freeze, as if the creature was listening to the sounds, and then it ran off.

"Jyn, are you okay?"

Cassian's voice startled her. How long was he speaking for? How long was she staring out where the creature had been?

"I think it might be gone," she whispered into the comlink. She was worried about being wrong again, though.

"Are you sure?" he asked. It sounded like he was trying quite hard to keep his voice level. "I'll try to find a way to you. I—"

"No, you can't," Jyn interrupted briskly. Her mind was starting to clear now that the immediate danger was ebbing. "We have to focus on the mission. That comes first."

"Kriff that, Jyn! No one will finish it if we all aren't there. As long as you think you're safe, get to the exit of the valley. Our paths intersect not long after that, so I'll meet you at the exit."

Was he insane? Their paths did eventually merge, and while the distance in numbers was close, the terrain at least doubled the actual travel distance. Not only did he have to get to where their paths crossed, but he would have to backtrack to the valley exit. How much climbing was that? How much walking?

She didn't have the energy to debate with him though, so she relented, "Fine." She released the transmitter button and stretched her arm back to return the comlink. Utter silence fell, and it was a while before Jyn trusted herself to move, trusted that the creature was truly gone. When she decided that she was in fact alone, she started to move.

She had to shimmy her way out from under the low overhang. It took her a while, not to mention that her injured arm was towards the outside, so she was forced to use it to get out. Bolts of pain made her shiver as she finally freed herself, and she stood warily. Jyn wanted nothing more but to curl in a ball and go to sleep, but that probably wasn't the best idea.

Jyn set off along the path once again, keeping her damaged arm stiff. She was afraid to look at it, afraid that once she realized the possible extent of the injury, that knowledge would consume her. Her head already swam with exhaustion, and she couldn't remember if she hit it during the couple of times she fell. She didn't need another worry clogging her concentration.

The valley walls continued to stand tall above her, and the monotony of the environment never changed. The cornflower-blue hue of the rocks at night didn't change. The wind howling above the valley didn't change. If not for the fact that the path only went in one way, she would have gotten lost already.

Jyn was trudging her feet, lost in a stupor when she finally realized that the valley walls weren't as tall. The path that rose and fell invariably started to level out, but it became littered with chunks of rock. It took all she had to make sure she didn't catch her foot on anything, and it wasn't long after that before she exited the valley. A plain of craters and boulders stretched out, connected by intricate arches and plateaus of neighboring stone.

Her legs wobbled, and she braced herself against a nearby rock as she scanned the landscape for the person she was looking for. Could Cassian really make it to here? She was about to deflate, figuring he wasn't able to make it, when she caught sight of something in the distance.

It was him. Limned in pale moonlight, his presence was faint, but he really did make it after all. He was leaned against a boulder, eyes upcasted towards the sky that held twinkling stars.

Jyn stumbled over to him, and her lack of finesse or stealth drew his attention to her. When he noticed her uneven footsteps, he met her halfway and braced her as she practically wilted into his grasp. She was so _tired_.

"You made it," she whispered. She wanted to ask how, but at the same time she didn't care at the moment.

"Of course I did," he said with some amusement. He held her at arm's length to examine her, and she saw his lips quirk downward when his darkened gaze fell to her arm. She barely noticed it though, focusing on the fact that his clothes were dusty.

"So you were hurt pretty badly," he observed.

Was it that bad? It stung like hell, but she hardly noticed otherwise. The more attention she gave it, the more it hurt, though; adrenaline was probably wearing off too. "I don't know," she answered honestly.

Cassian clicked his tongue. "Here, sit down before you fall over." He guided her to a rock that had a flat face and she slid to the ground against it. He then took her arm and extended it gently, keeping his body at an angle so he could study it without blocking the moonlight.

She finally looked at it herself. The arm of her shirt was shredded and soaked in red, and three gashes were visible underneath. Jyn felt the bile rise in her throat.

"I might have to suture those," he spoke slowly. Rummaging through his own satchel, she saw him pull out a small pair of scissors and watched as he clipped the cloth away, revealing the grizzly sight. He applied a tourniquet above the wound, then doused one of the cloths he had in bacta, and he gently cleaned her arm. The stinging pain slipped away quickly.

She tried not to react, focusing instead on his precision on knowing exactly what to do. She knew basic first aid, but nothing as procedural as what he was doing.

It made her wonder how many times he had done this before. She twitched when he pulled out the needle and thread from the satchel.

He paused at her reaction. "Do you trust me with this?"

Jyn nodded mutely.

As Cassian put the thread through the needle, he said, "Did I ever tell you how I met K-2SO?" He continued without an answer, and she knew he was trying to distract her. "I was in the Colonies, between the Core and the Inner Rim, on the planet Wecacoe. I was working with two aliens, Rismor and Kertas, to extract Imperial security protocol. I was found out by a security droid near a decommissioned Star Destroyer in a holding bay. The two of us fought until Rismor and Kertas hit his kill switch, and I tried to erase his memory. It failed multiple times, and I almost died multiple times. However, erasing his base programming did the trick, he stopped trying to kill me, and we left the planet successfully."

By the time he finished speaking, Jyn realized he was already half-done with the suturing on the first gash. His movements were deliberate and nimble, and paired with the bacta treatment she hardly felt it. She allowed herself to relax a little bit.

"Did you ever obtain the security protocol?" she questioned, picking out the one thing he left unsaid.

"Yes, it was in Kay's databanks," Cassian said simply. "So, the mission was a success, in all terms of the word."

"What happened after that?" She worried about upsetting him since the droid's status was unknown, but he _did_ bring it up himself, so she continued. "How did the Rebellion react?"

"They hardly commented. He had what they needed, and he was loyal to me. There weren't any issues." His answer was straightforward and unperturbed, although if he thought anything specific he didn't let on.

Her smile was slight. That sounded hard to believe, given what she knew of Kaytoo, but the Rebels always needed new crew. What were the Rebels doing right now? Did they disband after all? Or were they planning an attack now that they—hopefully—had the Death Star schematics?

Jyn was ripped from her musings when she finally felt the needle. She went to jerk her arm away, but Cassian held it in place, blinking apologetically.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I was tying up the first one, I've just lost the feeling in my leg and almost slipped."

She noticed for the first time he was crouched very peculiarly. His leg injury came back to her thoughts, and she frowned, staring intently at his face to avoid watching him work on the next gash. "How are you doing?"

Cassian didn't look at her, doggedly focused on his task, but she could feel the consternation oozing off him. "I'm stitching you up and you're asking about me?"

"You did push yourself," she insisted. "There's no way you aren't feeling it."

"Worry about me later," he said dryly. "The bacta's pain-killing properties only last so long, and I'm not done yet."

His words seemed to queue that situation, and she fell silent after that, barely holding back her winces.

It wasn't long after that though that he finished, completing his work with another application of a bacta pod and a bandage. He removed the tourniquet, and Jyn sagged against the rock.

"You did well," Cassian said. He touched her hand lightly, then offered her a water pack and a ration bar.

She accepted the water, but she was far too exhausted—and admittedly a little nauseous after the procedure —to even think about eating. Her head spun too, as if her body was starting to shut down on her. "I suppose. How's it?"

"What?"

"Your leg?"

He sat down next to her with a ration bar in-hand. "It's bothering me a little," he admitted.

Jyn snorted and closed her eyes. "Told you."

"I never said otherwise," he said bemusedly.

"Could have said so from the start." Her arguments were slipping from reason and her voice grew slurred; she was losing the battle against sleep and total shut down.

"Okay." Cassian kept his voice soft, agreeing with her for the sake of keeping her calm. Her head slumped against his shoulder as she finally gave up on staying awake, and he didn't hold back his smile. He idly traced a pattern on her hand as he looked up to the moon glowing above them.

* * *

There was barely a hint of Kessel's sun in the sky when they set off again.

Cassian's leg was stiff, and it ached a little, but he was glad it was only as minor as that. There was more than one occasion that he wanted to use a bacta pod for relief, but he stopped himself. Jyn needed it more, now that she had a viable wound capable of getting infected. As thorough as he tried to be, he wasn't a medical center, and this wasn't a sterile environment.

She was walking beside him, her right hand clasped over her left wrist in a protective manner. The bandage was still wrapped firmly around her upper arm, and if it hurt her she made no other indication. He quietly worried for her, but he didn't want to make things even more difficult for her. They would have a long day ahead of them.

The environment around them was far less precarious, and they could walk on the terrain without much worry. There wasn't a defined path, but there wasn't much in their way, either. About a quarter standard day left and they would arrive at their destination. Only a half-klick was left to walk.

They would regroup with Han Solo, and their mission would start. He clenched his hands at the thought of that man. Why didn't he warn them about the possibility of any predators?

Cassian looked at the woman walking beside him. For most of the morning they traveled in companionable silence. He broke it easily, "How are you doing? Do you need to rest for a few minutes? We'll need all our energy for the operation."

"...I'm fine," Jyn said after a moment of delay. "I don't think it'll impede the completion of our mission," her gaze wandered down to his legs, and she added, "What about you? How are you holding up?"

"I'll live," Cassian assured her. His hand dropped subconsciously to his weapon belt and satchel, a silent reassurance that he meant what he said.

They passed through the flat expanse of rock before the environment changed again. The plateaus became more common, and deep valleys, like claws scored into the planet's surface, became more common again as well.

They were drawing near.

The more the sun rose, the more dust was visible in the air. Starships, tiny specks in the yellow-tinted sky, crossed overhead occasionally.

They never stopped their pace. Cassian grew weary, hair damp from perspiration. The heat was becoming intense, befitting of the arid landscape.

Haulers and other cargo craft flew above them next, indicating their proximity to their target destination. The ground trembled faintly beneath their feet and plumes of ash and smoke trailed into the atmosphere. The quiet solemnity of nature changed to starship engines and the whining of drills.

Now that they were practically upon the mine, they had to move with calculation. Cassian led the way among the uneven terrain, sharp eyes searching out the way ahead of them as he stayed glued to the shadows, a welcome respite to the heat. Jyn moved a few steps behind him, making sure they weren't being followed.

Cassian halted suddenly. He felt Jyn's hand brush against his. A silent question.

He turned his head to look back at her. "I think we're nearing the plateau. The ships overhead keep landing nearby. If Han Solo is worth anything, he'll be hidden. Hopefully." He kept his voice low, although the sounds of the mine were a decent buffer.

"I think so too," Jyn agreed. "We should keep moving until we find him."

She was clenching and unclenching the hand on her good arm. He barely noticed it while they were hidden in the shadow of a rock, but it reminded him of Solo's negligence. He swallowed his anger. There was a time and place for such feelings, and now wasn't it.

They edged their way between the boulders and rocks clustered around the various plateaus. A large cargo ship roared overhead, landing gear extended, before it was gone from view. The rock wall they traveled along shook, and then the loud sounds of the thrusters cut abruptly. It stopped Cassian in his tracks, and he realized they must be on the other side of where the landing pads were built into the plateau.

That meant Solo had to be there, providing they weren't first. Considering the significant detour he had to make, as well as Jyn's run-in with the predator, he highly doubted it.

Just as he was about to check behind the boulders scattered near them, he saw a brown-furred head peeked around one of them first. It let out a familiar rumble, disappeared for a moment, then returned with Han Solo in tow. They—Solo and Chewbacca—both looked weathered but appeared better off, at least.

"You're finally here, I see." Han Solo's tone was impatient. "I had to wonder if you changed your minds."

"No. But we're here now." Cassian crossed his arms and kept his voice steady.

Solo scanned each of them, and his eyes lingered on Jyn's wrapped arm. "What happened there?" he asked, gesturing with his hand. His voice now held incredulity instead of impatience.

"I was attacked," Jyn said shortly. When she received an eyebrow raise from Solo, she further remarked, "Attacked by some creature that I wasn't informed could be there."

The smuggler's brows furrowed. "What did it look like?"

"Wide eyes, thick fur, and it had six legs and... claws." Her fingers trailed again her bandaged upper-arm.

"That sounds like a Dyak," Solo said slowly. He seemed slightly awed, but it vanished in the next moment. "How did you survive? And with only that injury?"

Cassian didn't know how Jyn didn't bristle at that, but she kept her composure well. Hell, he wanted to punch Solo for her. But his reaction worried him... why was he acting as if it was some miracle?

"It almost killed me," she said mildly. "Before it could though, I heard a strange sound, and it ran off."

"Huh. Well, Dyaks are creatures that are thought to be extinct here... which is why I couldn't tell you that they were something to look out for. Once it was found out that Kessel had vast underground resources in spice, those that rushed to exploit it killed off the creatures because they were territorial and killed slaves and other workers. You can thank the Pyke Syndicate for that. They were deadly creatures. Are, I guess you could say now."

"I see." Jyn's eyes were unfocused, as if she was lost in the experience again. He saw her shudder slightly.

After seeing that, Cassian interrupted, "The mission?"

"Yes, yes, we're getting to that. Let's go." Solo pulled out a pair of electrobinoculars and smiled.


	4. False Truths

_false truths_

. . .

Cassian followed Han Solo up a small ridge a short distance away from the plateau. Jyn and Chewbacca stayed behind.

The ridge was high enough that it overlooked some of the mine, but the view wasn't perfect. It was quite expansive, from what he could see, with gray, durasteel buildings perched at the edge of a huge hole in the ground. Like a spiral, a road steadily looped its way down to the bottom of the hole, but that couldn't be seen from his position.

The massive landing pads built into the plateau also blocked some of the view. Crates were stacked near the entrance to the turbolift that took pilots and passengers to and from the landing pads, and the trails that snaked through the mining compound held various people and creatures.

Most were human in different gray slacks, mingled with the white armor of stormtroopers. Other aliens walked around, noticeably in chains. Most of them were Wookiees, but a few other larger species that he couldn't easily identify could be seen.

Cassian knew they were slaves. He glanced over at Han Solo, wondering if the other man felt anything at the sight. His co-pilot was a Wookiee, after all. Unfortunately, he couldn't grasp at his expression, as Solo's face was hidden behind the electrobinoculars he looked through. They both were prone to the ground, as hidden as they could be from the ships flying above them.

"Do you see who were looking for?" Cassian started, figuring that breaking up the silence between them might get him more information.

Solo didn't answer him, he just merely adjusted the zoom function.

With an internal sigh, Cassian drew his satchel closer to him and sifted through its contents one more time. It was a habit he barely recognized, and his subconscious mind found it odd that the typical assortment of tools wasn't with him. Sure, he had weapons and explosives, but none of the Rebel Intelligence tech was in his bag. No sophisticated lock-picking devices, no transmitters, no wiretap devices, no false identification, and no lullabies*. He thankfully never needed to use the latter, but the fact that he didn't have any on him made what they were doing that much more perilous if the Empire wanted information. It made him wish for his personal transponder that hid the pill.

"There's no one specific in view, but I never expected there to be to. That would be too risky," Solo finally responded.

"Let me see those." Cassian extended his hand.

Solo pulled them away from his face with a hard look, but he handed them off wordlessly.

Cassian held each side, noting that the model was the same as the one he used on Eadu. The one he used to watch what happened between Jyn's father and his commanding officer instead of the sniper scope. His mind was caught in that rain-and-explosion-filled memory, and it took himself a moment to mentally shake it off. He brought the electrobinoculars to his eyes and peered through them.

The stormtroopers had their typical blaster rifles, and with no amount of discomfort he realized that even the humans without armor had Imperial insignias somewhere on their clothing. This could only be controlled by the Empire, and Cassian could take a thousand guesses as to why it was under Imperial occupation. And if this one was, he was sure other mining compounds were also under control.

Cassian had no interest in attracting the attention of all those Imperials, because while he doubted the Death Star would fall into orbit here regardless of what happened, that threat, that fear that it _could_ was always there. And he was sure that was exactly what the Empire wanted.

And if they were captured? Well, he doubted he would see the outside world again, if they kept him around long enough to even contemplate that thought. No, it wasn't an option. But the fact that he had no lullabies meant that he couldn't end it himself. He would be at their mercy… although at this point, what place in the galaxy was free from them?

That was what needed to change. One battle at a time.

He watched the people down below walk, some guiding large animals that pulled carts behind them. Wheeled vehicles also drove by occasionally. The slaves trudging along the side of the paths were chained together, their postures hunched and small. He could easily tell they were afraid, tired, beaten down. Nothing would save them now.

And what he was going to do? Stealing the refined product that they were forced to mine raw probably wouldn't help them at all.

"There are a lot of stormtroopers down there," Cassian said slowly.

"Great observation," Solo replied dryly.

"How are we going to find our contact?" he continued, ignoring the sarcasm. Several possible ways filled his head, but he kept them to himself. He removed the electrobinoculars from his eyes.

"My handler and contractor said to look for a tiny red triangle on their sleeve. They gave us a general location to start looking. That's our only indication. When we find them, we tell them a phrase, one that only I know. Then they write off on their ledger. We take the cargo in a speeder back to the _Falcon,_ forge a cargo manifest, and bring it to the next site where we offload it."

He turned his head to Solo suddenly. A tiny red triangle on a sleeve? That would be difficult to find. Like a needle in a haystack. But Cassian wasn't a novice. He was confident his extensive background as a Rebel operative would work well. He was versatile. "So, what's the plan for getting down there?"

"Subterfuge, naturally. We need to steal Imperial clothing and act the part. Think you can handle it, Paxton?"

Cassian shot the smuggler a cocky grin. "It's my specialty."

* * *

Cassian returned with Han Solo to where Jyn and Chewbacca were left waiting. He noticed almost immediately that Chewbacca was showing Jyn his personal bowcaster.

"Chewie must like you if he's showing you his weapon," Solo said by way of greeting. Amusement tinged his tone.

"He must," Jyn agreed lightly, glancing up at the Wookiee.

While Solo went to sift through the multiple packs and satchels placed at the base of a rock, Cassian moved to Jyn's side. "How's your arm?" he asked quietly, leaning in towards her so she could hear him.

"It throbs when I use it." Her tone sounded a touch regretful. "Our supplies are limited, I'd prefer to save them for worse."

"Use another bacta pod, if you need to. Useful or not, you're worthy of our resources."

Jyn shook her head. "But what if that something worse happens? We need to conserve them."

"Jyn, if we're not in as top shape as we can be, the worst will happen. We need to prevent accidents or slip-ups from happening." As charismatic as she was, she could be quite stubborn. He had to bite his tongue to stop from letting out a sigh.

She seemed to consider this. Her face contorted in displeasure, but he had a sense that he won. "Very well. I'll use one now," she relented. Jyn moved towards their supplies and retrieved a bacta pod.

Once the pod was applied, Cassian saw her posture relax substantially. He shook his head. Stubborn indeed.

"Did Solo tell you the plan?" Jyn queried when she returned, leaning on the rock behind her.

Cassian crossed his arms and nodded. "Yes. Just like Scarif, we're going to disguise ourselves as Imperials."

He wasn't sure what reaction to expect, but it certainly wasn't a laugh. "Looks like it's _that_ mission all over again," Jyn said a moment later, and he realized the humor was dry.

"It is, but then again, every operation against the Imperials is that way." There was silence between them before he started on his next subject. "We have to forge a cargo manifest." He didn't miss the way her eyes glazed over for a moment before they sharpened on him.

"Do we have a code replicator? I can do it." Her tone was solemn now, but still firm.

"I don't know," Cassian said. He wasn't really surprised by Jyn's capabilities; she was one to hide what she knew. He had broached the subject to see if it was something within her abilities, given the rumors about her, and it seemed like it was.

Attention diverted from him, he observed as she strode away and to Solo. She tapped him on the shoulder, and her hands rose in gesticulation. Solo put his hand on his hip, smiled, and said something; Cassian couldn't mouth-read from the distance. She returned a few moments later.

"Well? Do we?" he asked.

Jyn nodded. "We do. It's back on the ship, I'm not really surprised that he has one, given his line of work." She looked a little surer of herself, more than he had seen from her since the Dyak attack. But he could sense the hole that opened in her—the emptiness—despite the fact she made no acknowledgment of it. He didn't doubt that she was reminded of something painful.

It was then that Solo approached them both. "We're ready to start. I talked it over with Chewie, he's willing to play the role of a slave to get close enough to the inner facilities."

"And the guises?" Cassian prompted.

"That's where you two come in."

* * *

Cassian crouched next to Jyn beside a rock that was a short distance from the turbolifts that went to the landing pads. They needed to steal Imperial getups to walk into the complex, to then steal another outfit and a set of binders for Chewbacca. It was only then that they could look for the contact. While the sun was starting to sink, it was still light out enough that they had to be extra cautious.

The turbolifts occasionally opened, letting goods and people out. Some goods and people went in. They both were watching, searching for a pattern.

"Every standard ten minutes, the turbolifts are operated," Jyn whispered.

Cassian had also noticed that. "Can you get to the crates by the doors? When a few Imperials walk by, throw a rock at them. Draw them to this spot."

One of her eyebrows rose, but she signaled her agreement. When the coast was clear, she scurried in a half-crouch to the crates and hid behind them. He focused on her like a whisper bird of Yavin IV, but after a moment he drew back. If only Kay were with them… he could probably make easy work of finding the contact. He shook his thoughts of his friend from his mind and steadied his breathing. He needed to focus.

It felt like he was waiting for hours when he finally heard hurried footsteps.

The ones Jyn made.

And the ones the stormtroopers made.

He barely had time to register that information before Jyn threw herself around the rocky corner. She drove past him.

And barely a moment later, the blazing white plastoid armor of the stormtroopers showed next, blasters following her fleeing form, looking for their shot. There were two, conveniently enough. With him hidden in the shadows, they didn't notice him immediately.

Blaster rifle cocked, Cassian squeezed the trigger twice. There were two successive thumps as the soldiers fell. Instead of the noise and flash of plasma and the scent of ozone, there was a blue ring of electricity, silent and undetectable. He had the blaster set to stun.

He remained motionless, watching to ensure that they were indeed subdued. When neither moved, he rose to stand. Jyn trotted up to him, unharmed.

"I do not want to wear those," she said vehemently, eyes filled with disdain as she stared down at the motionless Imperials.

"I wish we had a choice." How many times did stormtroopers just like these get in their way? It was different when dressing as an officer as he did on Scarif. Adjusting his expression in the slightest way, with a sour edge, let him blend in perfectly as an Imperial without needing a helmet. He could play the role just fine, it was just the symbolism of wearing that white armor, armor that was cheap and mass-produced, that miffed him.

"We'd better hurry, before we're noticed." Jyn started to pull one of the stormtroopers by the arms, but the slightest tug made her drop them. Her wince and the resulting frustration were scribbled all over her face.

"Go back behind the rocks," he said gently. He knew it was her arm. "I'll drag them back there, and I'll let you dissect them out of their armor."

She narrowed her eyes in mild suspicion. "Funny. But Galen was a crystallographer, not a biologist. And my mother Lyra was a geological surveyor." Her voice didn't waver at the mention of her late parents, but he was sure her heart did.

Cassian watched her expression, an affectionate smile on his face. "I know very well. But you've inherited their natural curiosity, surely. Dissecting stormtroopers should be something you'd enjoy."

"Right. I think subduing them is enough." Her eyes rolled.

* * *

It took a precious amount of time to extricate the stormtroopers from their armor, but that was the easy part. Climbing in was even harder. And trying to see out of the helmet? Practically impossible. Jyn was sure the Imperial academies needed classes on how to make sure their cadets could do… anything. She pulled the helmet off in annoyance.

"I can't see, and I'm not sure I can walk either," she complained.

Cassian was crouched by the unarmored stormtroopers, re-checking their tied hands and ankles. "At least we don't have to wear them all the time."

Instead of responding, she investigated the helmet in her hands. She did a lot in her life so far. Running with Saw's Partisans; finding her first love; losing her first love; becoming a criminal and duplicating casino coins for corrupt, inept Imperials in charge of running spaceports; forging scandocs for other Partisan groups; and being forced to work on a human trafficking ship. Not to mention she'd been arrested multiple times during several of her jobs. But putting on the white armor felt different, more so than anything. It felt wrong in a way where the other things weren't.

Cassian was suddenly by her side, carefully drawing her attention. "Are you ready to go?" He had his blaster rifle out, the pistol and explosives he carried hidden on his person well; if she didn't know better she might not have realized he was carrying any at all.

She took in a deep breath, put the helmet on, and nodded.

Slipping into the poses of patrolling stormtroopers, they moved from their hiding place out onto the path. Heading away from the turbolifts and plateau, they followed the short trail as it led them into the main mining facility. They passed other stormtroopers without so much as a second glance, as well as slaves and carts holding materials. Jyn clutched the grip of her weapon tightly as they passed a person whose Insignia indicated higher ranking, but they too passed without issue.

Cassian followed a mental map, and soon he was a half-pace ahead of her. She tried tracing the picturized map in her head that she spent the flight to Kessel memorizing, and she was satisfied to find that she could in fact remember properly. The various buildings closed in on them, making the quarters close if they ended up in a fight.

They paused on the right side of the path, against a building, as another patrol of stormtroopers passed on their left. As soon as they did, he ducked into a small alley on the left side, and Jyn followed as calmly as she could. They were next to a smaller, stouter building with a simple, locked door. Next to it was a small input pad. Cassian fiddled with his helmet with one hand, the other hand held in midair before the pad. He put in a string of Aurebesh a moment later, and a light on the pad flashed green.

She decided that he must have pulled the lock code from the helmet's data system as they snuck into the building; that, or he had some handy piece of knowledge that she didn't. Her helmet took a moment to register past the darkness, except for a red glow of auxiliary lights tucked in the floors that gleamed up. It was small, only the size of one room. Racks of unused uniforms and other gadgets stood to either side, and levels of shelves were behind them. It appeared to be a storage building.

"You look for a commander uniform, and I'll look for binders," Jyn said quietly, voice distorted from the helmet's voice scrambler. She knew what to look for in the binders, and she allowed herself a grimace.

Cassian signaled his agreement and went to the left side.

Jyn took the right. She wasn't completely sure if they'd find binders here, but it was worth a try. Her coordination was slightly off with the bulky armor, and her hand that was supposed to skim through the uniforms to look behind them hit roughly against the top support of the rack. With a little bit more care, she parted the clothed armor and scanned the shelves in her line of sight. Some held weapons, others held trinkets that she had no idea what they were or how to use them. A pair of what looked like truncheons sat in one of the shelves, and she stared at them longingly. Jyn desperately wanted to snatch them, but she knew she couldn't work with them, as they weren't standard stormtrooper equipment.

Forcing herself to move on, she looked up to the higher shelves and saw the thin, circular shape of the binders she was looking for. The darkness made them hard to pick out, but it seemed like stormtrooper helmets helped with some details. She squeezed past the racks, put her weapon in its holster on the armor's belt, then stretched up and hooked the cuffs from the shelf. They were heavier than their thin cut made them look, and she caught them awkwardly with both arms. Her left one throbbed in protest, and she clenched her teeth. Slowly, she clipped them to the back of her stolen armor.

Jyn made her way back to the entrance and redrew her weapon. She waited by the door, until a few moments later Cassian's white armor emerged. He held a neatly folded commander's uniform in one hand. There was clearly no way to hide it, so she hoped it would be dark enough by now that it wouldn't be easy to see.

They left the building as quietly as they had entered, and much to Jyn's hopes, it was indeed darker. The russet rocks were again bathed in a dark blue, with the sky being the faintest gold color as sunlight drained from it.

Walking from the alley, they retraced their steps back towards the turbolifts. There was still plenty of activity despite the time, and Jyn knew that the slaves likely weren't afforded much rest at all, even with the usage of droids at night.

Without much hassle, they finally made their way to the tall rocks beside the turbolift and plateau. It was a half-second before she realized their subdued stormtroopers were not there, and she remembered Solo was tasked with the disposal of them. That must have gone clearly, but she was sure that they probably missed whatever post they were assigned to. They didn't have too much time before security looked for what they might class as deserters.

Jyn pulled off her helmet, the cool air pleasing on her face. Cassian followed her motion a moment later.

"That went far better than I was expecting," she said, looking into his dark eyes.

He nodded slowly, but he looked troubled. "Yes, almost too well." When he saw her furrowed brows, he elaborated, "Solo told me that his employer told him where to go to get what we needed. He said his employer would make sure that the contact knew to override guard posts at auxiliary buildings. I'm not sure who we're dealing with, but whoever they are must have significant power in the Outer Rim to have insiders in a place like this."

"So we need to be careful," Jyn supplied.

"Yes." His voice was grim.

* * *

They returned to the very temporary and lackluster camp that Han Solo and Chewbacca created in their absence. It was bare enough that they could abandon it almost immediately. It probably wouldn't get any use beyond the current moment.

Cassian tossed Solo the commander's outfit when the latter man appeared through the darkness. "Put it on."

"Ah, not bad," Solo said. He ducked behind a rock.

Jyn turned to Chewbacca and unclasped the binders from her belt. She held it out to him cautiously.

The Wookiee made a series of small grunts, then extended his massive arms with an accompanied tilt of his head.

She clasped on the binders, making sure they were secure enough to look convincing. She didn't want to take any chances with them being noticed, nighttime or not.

Han Solo appeared a few minutes later, dressed in the crisp uniform of an Imperial commander. He adjusted the hat and put on an expression befitting of what might be expected from an Imperial officer. Beckoning them, he strode in the direction of the turbolifts. Jyn and Cassian put their helmets back on, and then promptly followed. When the coast was clear from any wayward Imperial patrol or surveillance droid, he stepped out onto the path. Chewbacca went behind him, and the two Rogue One members flanked the Wookiee on either side, as if they were restraining him. Jyn kept her grip light.

She followed the smuggler's lead back into the main complex of the mine. She watched as the rock turned to durasteel buildings, and the road became more abundant with droids and night-shift stormtroopers. A few gave Chewbacca long looks, but they otherwise kept to themselves.

Jyn relaxed only an iota. While their disguises worked so far, that didn't mean they were clear. They still had to find their contact with the red triangle, and anything could go wrong in that time.

She kept her eyes peeled for danger as they slowly made their way to the main command building. It was visible from where they were, since no other buildings stood in front of it. Lights illuminated it, and while it was a large building, it was otherwise nondescript on the outside.

Two stormtroopers stood on either side of the building entrance. Han Solo strode right up to them, pausing when the guards instructed him to halt. Chewbacca, Jyn, and Cassian stopped behind him.

"Identification and clearance codes?" One of the guards spoke in monotony.

Solo handed them something that Jyn couldn't see; the guard seemed satisfied though and returned what was given. "Cleared. Where are you taking this prisoner?" They gestured to Chewbacca without a glance towards him.

"Sector H4 correction center," Solo said without delay.

The main guard merely nodded, then both guards stepped back to allow entry.

The doors slid open, then shut behind them once they were through.

Immediately, the garbled sound of various systems reached her ears. The sounds of many footsteps indicated the place was active. It wasn't good, but it wasn't unexpected, either.

Solo continued along as if he belonged there. He made a right at the first hallway that appeared; the dashed lights so common in Imperial installations marked the walls, hiding indented doors with access panels. He kept going past them, not giving the stormtroopers around them any chance to suspect them of anything. They made a meandering series of twists and turns, and Jyn was starting to lose track of her lefts and rights.

It did the trick, however, and before she knew it the halls were mostly empty. MSE-6 mouse droids zoomed around, but they were all there was. She saw Han Solo approach a door that looked like all the doors they had passed by so far, and he jammed a finger-length metal rod into the access panel. The door slid open. When they entered, Jyn realized it was a communications room, stacked with crates. The door shut with a clank.

"This is where we were told to look for the contact," Solo informed. He pulled back his sleeve to reveal a small datapad strapped to his wrist, showing a map of the complex. "I see nothing but kriffing comms consoles and crates."

Jyn approached one and studied its surface. It wasn't dusty, so it probably had been moved relatively recently. Why were there crates in a communications room? Where were all the people that worked the units?

Jyn looked at Cassian, who had elected to remain by the door with his weapon propped on his hip. He seemed just as on-edge as she did.

It was good that he was, because the door slid open. Jyn tensed while Cassian already had his weapon drawn. Solo had his hand on his holster but did nothing else when a small man entered. He had Imperial garb on, but the red triangle at the very edge of the cusp of his sleeve was the giveaway. Cassian seemed to notice at the same time and lowered his blaster only slightly.

"The binary malfunctioned," Solo said immediately.

"It's been checked." The newcomer seemed to lose a touch of their stiffness, then eyed Cassian's blaster.

Cassian didn't lower it any further.

"I thought we were supposed to look for you." Solo seemed disgruntled even if his voice didn't sound it.

"This was easier," the man said with a shrug. "I rerouted all of the patrols from here, so they won't get in your way." He was obviously trying to ignore the weapon facing his general direction and edged towards the side.

"Does that mean these crates are what we're getting out?" Solo asked.

"Some of them," the contact replied without further explanation, eyes rapidly moving between all of them.

Solo was silent for a moment, face expressing nothing, then he stared the man down. "Do you have the ledger?"

The contact produced a datapad a heartbeat after the question was asked and held it out. Solo moved closer to take it, then scrolled through the contents. He seemed satisfied, because he pocketed it a moment later.

"My contractor will make sure you receive what you're owed," Solo said. "So how do we get it out?"

"I'll mark it off as ready for transport. It'll be loaded onto a cargo carrier and out to a speeder that's waiting for you. But you will need to make your own clearance codes."

"I have that handled." Solo flicked his hand dismissively. "Just get the crates out and we'll do the rest."

It took some time, but they managed to make their way out of the back of the facility. A speeder hovered to the side in a large hangar with crates stacked atop it, just as the contact promised. Jyn and Cassian were still in the white plastoid armor, guarding Chewbacca. They pushed him into the speeder with the crates for authenticity, while they and Solo climbed into the cabin.

"Once we get back to the _Falcon_ and get off of this dusty rock, we'll offload the cargo to a buyer." Han Solo didn't look at them as he spoke, he kept his gaze focused on the speeder's controls. "After that's done, you'll get paid and we can drop you off."

"I don't think things are adding up," Jyn began, pulling off her helmet. "Is that really all there was to it?"

Solo stopped to glare at her for a heartbeat. "I follow orders, I don't ask unnecessary questions. This is what my contractor set up, so I did it. I suggest you do the same."

Jyn returned his stony visage and said nothing. She clenched her hands at her sides when he looked away, and the speeder pulled off into the dusky Kessel night.

She felt a hand wrap around hers and squeeze comfortingly. Cassian's dark brown eyes met hers, and she could only hope in that moment that her instincts were proven wrong.

. . .

 _A/N:_

 _*Rebel intelligence term for suicide pills._

 _Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews to the story! They help me keep going. :)_


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